Oregon Black Walnut - The Story of a Portland Tree

JOURNAL

October 31, 2018

We have been very lucky to acquire this massive Oregon Black Walnut tree. Tremendous in size, it was greatly appreciated by the South East Portland residents who shared their neighborhood with it. The age of this tree is not known, but it was large and healthy in 1890 when the first house was built beneath it. Since that time eight other homes were built in the shade of its branches.

As is increasingly common among Black Walnut trees, this giant became the victim of a rapidly spreading disease. The death of a tree like this will always feel like a loss to the land and people who have grown around it. Through careful arborist and sawyer practices, most of the tree has been salvaged. With intentional and thoughtful milling, a great number of magnificent live edge slabs were reclaimed from the fell.

Each member of the family who shared space with this great Oregon Black Walnut have tables in their new homes made from its wood.

Material of this nature air dries one year for each inch of thickness. This particular material was air dried for four years and was heat treated through kiln drying to ensure stability. After coming back from the kiln it was surfaced through sanding or CNC router.

Our woodworkers then create beautiful pieces out of this magnificent wood - from dining and coffee tables, to desks and bar tops. This wood is also available for purchase in our Warehouse as raw material for your projects.

It is our privilege to carry locally reclaimed material. We are committed to retaining the value of local trees such as this. It is our pleasure to share the story and help create a new narrative for it in the homes of our customers.